The Central Challenge

Margot, age fourteen, stomps into her foster home yelling that she hates that school and will not be going back. “But you like it there,” her foster father replies, exasperated and a little worried. Margot screams and swears at him, “I hate them, and I hate you as well! You’re all f*****g stupid!” In rising anger, the foster father retorts, “You know you can’t use that language around here. Go to your room and do your homework, and you can forget about going out with your friends this weekend!” Margot screams abuse at him, kicks over a chair, and tearfully runs into her room slamming the door behind her.

Many of us provide care, support, and education for young people who have experienced abuse, neglect, separation from family, and exposure to domestic and community violence. This sort of adversity in childhood can lead to a lack of trust in adults and a range of behavioural, social, and learning problems. Such young people are also likely to struggle with the self-management of troubling emotions and impulses.

But what do you think is the Central Challenge—the one that we will all face, the one that we most need to understand and develop skills to overcome, the one that can undermine the best intentions of caring adults?